4-Year-Old Boy Saves His 1-Year-Old Brother, Gets Honored by Local Fire Department
Heroes come in all different ages and sizes, but it is rare to see a child personify heroic qualities like selflessness.
Four-year-old Mason Ochoa of Placentia, California was out for an ordinary day of play, when he witnessed his 1-year-old brother Nicholas fall into their backyard pool.
According to CBSLA-TV, Mason instinctively knew what he had to do in that time-sensitive moment.
The boy ran outside and grabbed his brother’s arm. He then screamed for help while he made sure to keep his brother’s head above water.
Due to Mason’s quick thinking and bravery, Nicholas did not sustain any injuries.
4-YEAR-OLD HERO: Little Mason Ochoa was honored by the Placentia Fire Department today after he saved his little brother from drowning in their backyard pool. https://t.co/adBHDGyPsH pic.twitter.com/iym9A2bivH
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) November 6, 2020
The four-year-old’s heroic act did not go unrecognized. The Placentia Fire Department named him an honorary Placentia firefighter after rescuing his little brother from drowning.
Mason was given a demonstration of how to use a hose line, work the rescue tools and play paramedic with a roll of bandages.
He was also presented with the department’s challenge coin.
According to Custom Challenge Coins, this type of token is given to someone to honor them for a special achievement.
The family said they originally had a fence around their pool, but the fence came down when the house was sold. Thankfully, Mason was there to save the day.
“He’s a fast learner. He knows how to swim,” Mason’s grandfather Raul Velez said.
He went on to say that his grandson is his hero and urged families without fences around their pools to ‘be very careful.’
Unfortunately, far too many parents have dealt with the horrible tragedy of losing their child in this way.
According to the CDC, approximately ten people die each day in the United States from accidental drowning, two of them typically being children ages 14 and under.
Country music star Granger Smith lost his 3-year-old son, River, in 2019 due to an accidental drowning.
“Love those close to you, soak up those moments, live for today, live in the present because we’re not guaranteed tomorrow,” Granger said in a statement on Instagram at the time of his son’s passing.
Thankfully, Mason was able to save his little brother’s life, and their family has learned a valuable lesson they can share to help others keep their children safe.
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